Corrugated strip connector



Nov. 10, 1959 Y H. HURvlTz 2,912,666

CORRUGATED STRIP CONNECTOR Filed oct. 11, 1955 57 FI 34.. Em

. x PLASTl 1N VENTOR CORRUGATEDSTRIR CONNECTOR 1:' 1

Hyman Hurvitz, Washington, D.C., assignor to Radiation, Inc., Melbourne,Fla., a corporation of Florida Application October 1'1, 195'5, SerialNo. '539,894

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-61) The present invention relates generally toelectrical connectors, and more particularly to low cost electricalconnectors in which a plurality of wire ends may be inter connected, atwill, by insertion of the wire ends into the connector.

It has long been a problem, in breadboard wiring of electronicassemblies, to provide exibility of operation, and to dispense withsoldered joints, to the end that wiring might be rapidly accomplished,and that changes in wiring might be expeditiously made. Desiderata foraconnector which might answer the problem `are (1) low cost (2) -longlife (3) ability iirmly to interconnect a large number of wires inresponse to mere insertion of the wire ends into the connector (4) easeof securing the connector at any point and in any desired orientation ona solid hacker member. Connector-s presently available do not generallycomply with all the above desiderata.

In accordance with the present invention, an elongated strip of thinmetal is secured at points disposed along its length to a similar stripof resilient plastic material. One of the strips may be corrugated orslotted, providing alternate ridges and furrows, While the other Vstripmay remain flat. The ridges may represent the points at which the stripsadjoin and are secured together. The furrows may have a depth justadequate to permit force tit of wire ends or leads, which are thenmaintained in securerelation by the resilience of the plastic strip, andare electrically interconnected by the metal strip.

Modications of the simple connector above described may be resorted to,in which a strip of corrugated metal is sandwiched between two flatplastic strips, or in which a strip of corrugated plastic is sandwichedbetween two at metal strips, and further variants are contemplated andare hereinafter described.

The strip connectors so for-med may readily be tacked, or screwed downto a board as by wood screws, at any position thereon, and in anyorientation, without special preparation of the board, suitableapertures being provided in the strips for `this purpose. Connectors inaccordance with the invention may be manufactured in long strips, fromwhich connector elements desired length may be cut by the user, by meansof metal cutting shears.

It is, accordingly, a broad object of the present invention to provide anovel multiple wire solderless connector.

It is a lfurther object of the invention to provide a connector whichmay be readily secured, as by tacks, to a backer plate, of wood,fiber-board, or the like.

nited States PatentO,

lt is another object of the present invention to pro- I vide a stripconnector which may be fabricated of any ZlZb Patented Nov. 10, 1959 iceent plastic, at least one of the strips `being corrugated, and all thestrips conjoined in parallel plane relation.

`The above and stillrfurther objects, features andadvantagesgof-theupresent invention willbecorne apparent uponconsideration of the -following detailed description of one specificembodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with Itheaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a View in cross section taken longitudinally of a multiplelead connector arranged in accordance with the present invention, takenon the l-ine 1 1 of Figure 2; Y

Figure 2 is la view in plan of the connector of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a view in section, taken longitudinally, of a modificationof the connector of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanyingdrawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes a at thin strip of metaLFand 2a similar parallel'strip vof: metal, such as copper, brass, aluminum, ory Sandwiched lbetween the strips 1 and 2 is a the like, sheet ofcorrugated or slotted resilient plastic, having ridges 4 and furrows 5.The metal plates 1 and 2 are provided with apertures 6, located incoincidence with the ridges 4, or some of these. In fabricating theconnectors the plastic, selected to soften when hot, is heated sucientlyto cause material of the ridges 4 to llow through the slots 6, therebysecuring the elements of the assembly togther lirmfly when the plasticcools. Clearly, if desired, the strips 1 and 2 may be secured togetherotherwise than as shown, 4as by rivets, or the like, or may be unsecuredexcept by a device, such as a tack or wood screw, which secures the unitto a wood panel. Wire ends, or leads, 7 may ybe inserted into thefurrows 5. The height of the several furrows is selected to accept theleads or wire ends 7 on force fit, by forcing the sides of thecorrugations apart, and/or forcing the strips 1 and 2 slightly.

In the system of Figure 3 the structure of Figure 1 is duplicated, insuperposition, to provide a larger number of possible connection points,for a given length of connector strip;

l In this connection, it will be noted that the structure of Figures 1and 2 provides two relatively insulated connector assemblies or sets oflead apertures, since leads in contact with strip 1 are insulated fromthose in contact with the strip 2. In the structure of Figure 3, on theother hand, four sets of apertures are provided. One set, 40, is incontact with metallic strip 41, and one set, 42, is in contact withmetallic strip 43, and these are insulated from each other. Two sets ofapertures 44, 45 are available to the metallic strip 46, one above i-tand one bel-ow it, and these latter apertures are electrically insulatedfrom the other two sets of apertures, 40 and 42.

Further modification of the species of the invention above described,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, may be devised, Withoutdeparting from the true spirit of the invention, as dened in theappended claim. In particular, the several strips may be corrugated .onone side only, or provided with lateral slots on one side only.

While I have described and illustrated several specific examples of thepresent invention it will be clear that variations of the specificdetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thetrue spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A iiat strip multiple lead connector, comprising three f thin elongatedstrips of material 4lying in stacked relation, the outer of sa-id stripsbeing metallic and substan- 3 d tially plane, and the intermediate oneof said strips con- References Cited in the le of this patent sisting ofresilient insulating material having transversely extending corrugationsalong its entire length, means UNITED STATES PATENTS securing all saidstrips in conjoint and relatively fixed 2,112,752. Abbott Mar. 29, 1938parallel plane relation along the entire lengths of all 5 2,396,725Thomas Mar. 19, 1946 said strips, said last means including integralformations 2,688,735 Hub-bell Sept. 7, 1954 on the resilient strip ateach of its corrugations, entering apertures in the adjacent metal stripfor securing them FOREIGN PATENTS together. 281,864. Great Britain Dec.l5, 1927

